Great Crested Newt were recorded in the cemetery hedgerow of the site in 2014. That the species occurs in the area is hardly surprising since Basingstoke is a hotspot for Great Crested Newt, with breeding ponds for the species known to the north, east and southeast of Sherborne St. John.
Working with the Newt Conservation Partnership for a number of years, we have dug five potential pond pits in the Manor Farm fields as well as creating 200m2 of additional ponds within those fields and ensuring that the wetland margins are annually flooded as they have for centuries past (19th-century OS maps show the extent of the area subject to flooding).
Habitat areas have been created around three sides of the medieval fishpond, and the ponds in the gardens of Manor Farm Stables and Kingfishers improved for GCN habitat.
We are hugely excited to be working with the Newt Conservation Partnership and also HIWARG on this restoration project.
Arial View of Manor Farm Rewilding site and neighbouring properties
Manor Farm Meadow East
Manor Farm - Trial Pit Water Quality Summary
And success has come in the finding of Great Crested Newt DNA in the Manor Farm Cottage pond, adjacent to the (recently awarded) SINC site of the medieval fish pond. Water samples were taken in June 2026 by Chris Worgan of the Newt Partnership and sent to Cellmark for testing. They reported that 11/12 samples showed Great Crested Newt DNA
The June records have been recorded on the HIWARG website. Our thanks to them and in particular to Pete West for all his help.
Our site is part of the regionally important Great Crested Newt meta-population, which is the largest "Black Zone" in Hampshire . Our site sits in the Red zone.
24
We are delighted to report that after a number of years of testing water quality on the site, the Newt Conservation Partnership will fund the creation of two additional ponds for newts and amphibians in the newly designated SINC field. Our thanks to them for recognising the value of the site for nature regeneration.
In choosing the site for the two ponds, the Newt Conservation Partnership examined not only the topography and water tables of the site, but also the surrounding area.
Happily, both the site and the surrounding area have been designated 'High Suitability'!
Digging the two new newt ponds began on the 12th October with Chris Worgan of the Newt Conservation Partnership very much in charge. After the ponds are dug (and from day one they had water in them!) rainwater, the water table, and water run-off will fill them to a high level.
We are using green hay from conservation-ecologist Dr. Paul Sterry's SINC site to seed the area around the ponds with Hampshire wildflowers.
These two magnificent ponds mean that we now have a series of 12 ponds across Manor Farm and its neighbours - perfect for Great Crested Newts and other amphibians.
The pond at Kingfishers was home to 50 common toads in a single evening in 2024: we now have more options for them!
Digging the ponds begins a new chapter in our relationship with the Newt Partnership. We look forward to more Great Crested Newts in the future. Our thanks to Chris and his team for their support with our rewilding project.
Mike from the Newt Conservation Partnership digging one of four new ponds – a network of 12 ponds within 500 m. of each other. There have been fishponds at Sherborne St. John since at least 1302: these new ponds will create additional habitat for the wildlife corridor at Manor Farm.